'Free Willy' star Jason James Richter arrested on domestic violence charges

Jason James Richter, best known for his role as Jesse in Free Willy, was arrested on domestic charges in Los Angeles on Monday.

The former child actor, now 38, was arrested at 11:45 p.m. local time and booked in to jail in Van Nuys, California, at 1:12 a.m. for a misdemeanor, the LAPD confirms to ET. Richter spent two nights in jail, the LAPD says, and was released Wednesday on a $20,000 bail.

According to TMZ, Richter had an argument with his girlfriend around 7 p.m. at their home, and things escalated quickly after he asked her about a co-worker and whether they were having an affair. Following the alleged incident, Richter's girlfriend showed up at the police station and filed a report, claiming domestic violence, the outlet reports.

ET has reached out to Richter's rep for comment.

Richter played Jesse, a foster child who befriends a captive orca, in 1993's Free Willy, as well as its sequels, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home and Free Willy 3: The Rescue. The original film celebrated its 25th anniversary in April.

Since then, Richter has landed a number of small screen projects, appearing in shows like Bones, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Criminal Minds.